Jazz on the Beach 169 & Blues Beach 66: Renee Rosnes, Milt Jackson, Blues and Elvis
New releases, old favourites and the King sings the blues
On this week’s Jazz on the Beach radio playlist there are some excellent new releases, starting with pianist Renee Rosnes’ gorgeous Casa Forte from Crossing Paths (Smoke Sessions Records, 6th December). The song was composed by Edu Lobo, a star of Brasil’s ‘60s bossa nova movement and was first recorded by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66. Lobo sings it alongside Rosnes, saxophonist Chris Potter (here playing soprano), trombonist Steve Davis, double bassist John Pattitucci, drummer Adam Cruz and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. Here’s an excellent promo video on the new album…
Drummer Carl Allen’s hugely enjoyable Tippin’ (Cellar Music, 10th January) feels like it has been around for some time, we’ve already featured the tracks Happy Times and James on the show. But it’s finally released, and on the playlist is pianist James Williams’ Alter Ego, performed with double bassist Christian McBride and Chris Potter playing soprano saxophone (again) with not a piano in sight. I wrote a review this week for UK Jazz News that you can read here.
There’s also something new and different from another drummer, the Irish born, Brooklyn based Diego Joaquin Ramirez aka Estratos. He gets his 8 bit video game nostalgia on with Gameover from his debut Estratos (La Reserve, 7th March), with keyboardist Matt Wonk, guitarist Sanche Oisín Ramírez (I’m guessing his brother) and bassist Daniel Winshall. It’s great fun and was mostly composed on a Teenage Engineering OP-1 during an airline flight.
There’s serous hard boppin’ from tenor saxophonists Nick Hempton & Cory Weeds on Dexter Gordon’s Soy Califa! from Horns Locked (Cellar Music, 28th February). The album has both live and studio recorded tracks (this is one of the studio ones), with Hammond organist Nick Peck and drummer Jesse Cahill.
London based guitarist and former Jazz Nursery stalwart Nick Costley-White plays some great guitar on M-Face from his third album Poncha (Ubuntu, 28th February), with saxophonist Julian Siegel, double bassist Conor Chaplin and drummer James Maddren. He’s put together a good album promo video as well…
One of my favourite CTI albums (and probably one of the most successful) is the Modern Jazz Quartet’s vibraphonist Milt Jackson’s Sunflower (CTI, 1973). Like most CTI albums it features a top level lineup, with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham and percussionist Ralph McDonald.
Hubbard’s title track is as good here as his original version on Backlash, although its texture is quite different. Producer Creed Taylor has made it lusher and more suited to FM radio with Jackson’s swirling vibes and Don Sebesky’s expansive orchestration. Somewhere along the line the Little of the original Little Sunflower title fell by the wayside. Perhaps the sunflower in question grew too tall.
I’m still grooving madly to organist Webster Lewis and The Post-Pop, Space Rock, Be-Bop, Gospel Tabernacle Chorus and Orchestra BABY! with Intermezzo from the expanded Live at Club7 4LP box set (Jazzaggression, 2024), featuring alto saxophonist Bobby Greene, tenor saxophonist Stan Strickland and drummer Jimmy Hopps.
And finally, if you haven’t heard singer Vanisha Gould’s She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth (Cellar Music/La Reserve, November 8th), here’s yet another nudge, she’s a wonderful writer and a fabulous singer. This week it’s Cute Boy, with pianist Chris McCarthy, double bassist John Sims and drummer Jongkuk Kim.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on The Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Blues and Elvis
Last Wednesday, January 8th, would have been Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday. On this week’s Blues Beach we’re celebrating the artist that Joe Cocker once called ‘one of the finest white blues singers the world has ever known’.
You’ll hear some of the great blues songs he covered by artists including Junior Parker, Arthur Gunter, Jimmy Reed, Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup, Little Walter and Big Mama Thornton. As my good friend Will noted during the show, ‘Elvis had a good ear for a great tune’.
To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
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Jazz On The Beach is broadcast live every Wednesday evening from 10.00pm - midnight and repeated the following Monday from 2.00am - 4.00am
Blues Beach is broadcast live every other Thursday from 6.00pm - 7.00pm
Happy new year, Adam 🥳 apart from enjoying the latest episode of jazz on the beach I particularly chuckled at the little sunflower growing up joke